Anumita tells us about Mangsher Jhol and what it means to a Bengali, on a Sunday afternoon. An exclusive for Different Truths.

Every quintessential Bangali (Bengali) will vouch on their Mangsher Jhol (mutton curry) on Sunday afternoons. There would be a major intellectual argument if anyone would dare to oppose this notion. Mangsher Jhol is what most of us nonvegetarian Bangalis grew up with. A tradition that’s very close to heart. Sunday afternoon meals are meant to be celebrated and waited for. Yes, there was the compulsory siesta, which followed right after the Mangsher Jhol and Bhaath (rice) consumption. The satisfaction of the soul from within, the term used by my Dadu (grandfather).

Every quintessential Bangali (Bengali) will vouch on their Mangsher Jhol (mutton curry) on Sunday afternoons. There would be a major intellectual argument if anyone would dare to oppose this notion. Mangsher Jhol is what most of us nonvegetarian Bangalis grew up with. A tradition that’s very close to heart.

My Dadu did not have any teeth and he never wore a denture, but he would eat Mangsho with a gusto. I always wondered how he would tear and chew the meat. We watched the glee on his face after the satisfying Sunday lunch. Sometimes, Ma would add soya chunks with the mutton thinking it would be healthy food and Dadu would not know. To Ma and Thamma’s (grandmother) utter disbelief, the soya chunks would appear on his plate after Dadu had finished his lunch. My clever Dadu, may you enjoy Mansher Jhol in heaven.

My husband and kids both love Mangsher Jhol. As mutton takes a longer time to cook on the stovetop, most of the recipes are pressure cooked. I am a bit against the traditional pressure cooker because I feel that it takes away flavour. It is all in my mind. Being a sceptic, I tried to use the Instapot to make Mangsher Jhol. To my utter surprise, it turned out beautifully and took a fraction of the time. So, here is an Instapot recipe for our traditional Mangsher Jhol. Just make some hot white rice and enjoy any day, as if it is Sunday lunchtime.

My husband and kids both love Mangsher Jhol. As mutton takes a longer time to cook on the stovetop, most of the recipes are pressure cooked. I am a bit against the traditional pressure cooker because I feel that it takes away flavour. It is all in my mind. Being a sceptic, I tried to use the Instapot to make Mangsher Jhol. To my utter surprise, it turned out beautifully and took a fraction of the time.

Prep time: 15mins

Time to cook: 20 mins in all

Food: Indian Nonvegetarian

Meal: Lunch or Dinner main course

Ingredients:

Mutton: 3lbs (washed, and marinated with a cup of yogurt, garlic and ginger paste, salt, turmeric powder, chili powder, and a tsp of oil)

Potatoes 3 medium-sized (washed, peeled and cut into half and then fried lightly and kept aside)

Onions 3 big (cut and ground)

Garlic and ginger paste ½ cup

Cilantro leaves 1 cup (chopped)

Tomatoes 2 big (finely chopped)

Bay leaves 2

Black cardamoms 2

Cloves 5

Cinnamon 1”

Coriander seeds 1 tbsp (roasted and ground)

Cumin seeds 1 tbsp (roasted and ground)

Red dry chilis 2 (roasted and ground)

Whole garlic pod 3

Turmeric powder 2 tsp

Ghee 2 tbsp

Oil to cook

Salt to taste

Method:

Plugin the Instapot to Sauté mode.

Pour oil and put the cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf and cloves.

Give a stir and add onion paste.

I usually add a bit of salt while frying the onion paste. This is a trick I learnt from my Ma, as this helps the onions to caramelise faster.

Then add the garlic, ginger paste and the dry spices. (ground coriander, cumin, red chilli and turmeric).

It takes 2 mins for the whole spices to mix up with the base ingredients.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cilantro.

Just about in 4 mins add the mutton and stir for 30 seconds to incorporate the gravy mix with the whole meat.

The meat should lose its pink colour on the surface.

Add half a cup of water and add the potatoes.

A real Bangali would never forget the potatoes in the Mangsher Jhol, it would be a sacrilege to omit potatoes in this recipe.

Change the mode to manual and put the lid on.

Check so the pressure top is in the centre so the steam does not escape.

Now put the timer for 6 mins.

Once the 6 mins of cook time are over let the Instapot stand for another 5 mins.

Unlock carefully after letting the steam out.

In a small pot heat the ghee and then roast the whole cloves of garlic.

A roasted and aromatic smell will wrap up as the cloves sizzle.

Pour this over the Mangsher Jhol.

Keep it covered until it is time to serve with steaming hot white rice.

Enjoy a quintennial Bengali meal.

Photos by the author